The Secrets We Share

EIGHT

Dawn

I'd just slammed the car door shut and was on my way to mum's house when I got a text from Aria, saying that the date was official- tomorrow afternoon at two- in the city. My fingers moved to reply, but I paused- I didn't know why.

"You okay?"

I jumped a little when I heard my dad's voice. "Yeah." He didn't need to know that I was stumbling over a congratulations message to Aria- neither did Aria herself.

Hastily typing, 'I'm so happy for you! Have fun', I pocketed my phone and turned to stare out the window.

"You've been quiet lately. Penny for your thoughts?"

I shrugged. "School, work, the usual..."

My dad didn't reply. Then he said, "I might be going to Brisbane for a few days sometime later in the term."

Well, this was news.

"Why?"

"Work," he replied. "They have an office there and I need to oversee some things. You'll be at mum's house, I assume."

I nodded. It wouldn't affect me, really. "When?"

"Around the last few weeks of your school term."

It was close to the middle of the term, so in a couple of weeks dad would leave- no, go.

He wasn't leaving anyone. Not me, and not mum.

Definitely not mum.

They said that they needed time apart... but I'd never really thought about what would happen when their 'time apart' was up. How much time did they need? Half a year? Five years? Forever?

What if dad was actually leaving us, but in a way that we wouldn't know? If he left for Brisbane, what if he decided that it was a better place (or a place far away from mum) and stayed there? Would I ever see him again?

Would we ever see him again?

"Don't worry," Dad said quietly, as if he knew what I was thinking. "I'm not leaving you or mum. It's just a trip. I'll be back."

I nodded, but I couldn't speak. The overwhelming relief was pressing down on me, so hard I couldn't breathe.

*

My phone's ringtone blared from the table and my mum raised her eyebrows at me as I ran to pick it up. "Who is it?"

"Aria," I answered, hurrying upstairs to answer the call.

Once I'd slammed my bedroom door shut, I pressed the green button and said, "What's up?"

A loud wailing noise reached my ears and I dropped my phone in surprise. As I scrambled to pick it up, I heard Aria complaining on the other end.

"I have absolutely nothing in my wardrobe to wear to my date! Oh my goodness, I am so, so, so screwed! Do you have anything I can wear, anything will do, please, please, please Dawn ugh I'm sorry!"

Rolling my eyes, I opened my wardrobe door and frowned at the mess. "I don't have anything to wear to a... date."

"A dress. Just give me a dress."

"Err..."

I could hear Aria opening and closing doors, then she said, "Can you come to the mall with me?"

I grimaced. I would've happily gone- if it wasn't for my mum.

"I'll see," I replied hesitantly. "Put me on hold."

I raced down the stairs and burst through the door to find my mum on the phone, talking animatedly.

Freezing, I motioned to the front door, pointed to my phone and raised my eyebrows, as a question to leave the house because Aria needed my assistance.

She nodded, but I could tell she was distracted. Breathing a sigh of relief, I went back to my room and said, "I can go."

"Great," she replied. There was a silence at the other end of the phone.

Then, "That is, once I find out what to wear to the mall."

Chuckling, I hung up, put on my shoes, grabbed my wallet, and pulled the front door open.

*

"Okay, it's either this one or... this one."

I rolled my eyes as Aria walked out of the racks holding a short light blue dress and a slightly longer green one. 

I grabbed the short light blue dress from her right hand and nodded. "Take this one. It goes better with your eyes."

Agreeing, Aria placed the other dress back onto the rack and we headed towards the counter so Aria could pay.

"Why didn't you ask Kat?" I asked quietly while she handed over cash.

"I did actually. I figured you might be busy because you're at your mum's house. But she didn't pick up."

"Weird," I replied as we hurried out.

"Not really," Aria said, swinging the bag. "She has a big family- so she's probably busier than you."

I shrugged, just as my phone started to ring. "It's mum," I whispered quickly to Aria, accepting the call.

"Where are you?" My mother's voice crackled through.

"I'm at the mall with Aria; she needed my help with something... why?"

"I'm there as well, can you meet me at the library?"

"Oh! Sure, we're done anyway."

The entry to the mall come into sight and Aria waved to me as I passed through the doors and Aria went into another shop- to buy 

Squinting my eyes slightly at the sudden bright light, I headed towards the big brick building. As soon as I stepped through the sliding doors, cool air enveloped me and I breathed in the smell of books, which always seemed to sooth me.

Mum was sitting at one of the desks, a pile of National Geographic magazines in front of her, and she waved when she saw me. 

"I borrowed these," she said, indicating the magazines. "I figured you needed a wider range of reading to choose from, not just fiction."

National Geographic was the only scientific magazine I would actually pick up and read, and my mum had noticed this fast. 

I heaved the magazines into my arms and said, "Let's go now." 

Nodding, she stood and grabbed her bags, and we had just walked out the doors when I caught sight of something- no, someone, who was sitting in a corner with a book in his hands.

 It was Noah.

Reading.

A.

Book.

He, a freaking almost bad boy, was reading a book. 

Oh my gosh.

I had just witnessed a miracle. 

I didn't say anything though, even though I turned my head to glance one last time to stare at him. 

Dark brown hair mussed. His eyebrows were slightly narrowed, a small crease on his forehead, and his lips slightly parted- only slightly. And there was a muscle twitching in his jaw. Oh god. Frick. His deep brown eyes devouring the words on the page like I had- so many times. 

Inside, my heart was softening, a weightless cloud in my chest, and I could feel all my features softening too at the sight. 

Finally, there was something that we had in common. 

Something we both loved. 

Books freaking connected people, and I wasn't believing anything else.